So sorry for the long absence, as I'm sure you are all aware, life sucks sometimes. Moving, work, family issues, and my computer needing to be replaced killed all of my plans for writing. But I'm back now.
This chapter is a bit slow but serves to help build both the plot and the story's world. A few characters are mentioned in this chapter as well as someone from a previous chapter showing up for a bit.
Please let me know what you think of the chapter and the story as a whole, and let me know if you have any suggestions or anything you'd like to see in future chapters.
Chapter Six
Last night was a rather informative night; both Raven and Vlad learned a lot about each other. Raven was pleased to find that while Vlad still remembered nothing, he knew things about himself; granted she learned nothing of his past, but she still learned important things. She learned his favorite color was purple, which was the first thing that drew him to her. She learned that he is three years older than her, though with him being 20 and her 17 things will difficult if they ever start dating as her friends are very protective. She learned he named his katana Tsuki no Handan, or Moon's Judgment. Most importantly however, she learned that while he kills without a moment's hesitation, he is kind and gentle. She is now sure even without consulting her emotions that she is in love with him and can only hope he feels the same.
Vlad also learned a lot about Raven. He learned about her home dimension of Azarath and how her powers are tied to her emotions. He learned she loved reading and meditating. How she was often judged by her appearance and heritage. She told him the circumstances of her birth and who her father is. She let him read some of her poetry and see her drawings. He learned she is just a lonely girl that wants to be loved and accepted. He wondered if he should tell her his feelings but by the time he had decided, Raven was fast asleep. So he did the only logical thing and stripped down to his boxers to join her.
The next morning Vlad is awakened by the hiss of Raven's does sliding open, but keeps his eyes closed. He hears a person step into the room and the door close behind them, all while keeping up the ruse of sleep. The person takes a few steps towards the bed before accidentally kicking one of his discarded boots, causing Raven to shoot up into a sitting position.
"Mmm, Cassie what are you doing." Raven asks still half asleep, she notices the look on Cassie's face and that she's looking past Raven. Looking behind her, Raven sees what Cassie is staring at and begins to panic.
"So this is the Vlad guy you told me about?" Cassie asks with no short supply of humor in her voice. "He's as sexy as you said. So did you guys do anything?"
The question causes Ravens face to go red and her eyes to shoot open. She can't believe Cassie just asked that, she is extremely embarrassed and still worried.
"Not yet." The sudden appearance of Vlad's voice startles both girls, who thought he was asleep. "Not that Karasu-Hime wasn't thinking about it last night"
Raven nearly explodes at Vlad's comment, causing him to let out a melodious laugh. He sits up and stretches, giving the girls a nice view of his well muscled frame and causing them both to blush at the sight. He gets up and grabs a bag from beside the bed, pulling out some clothes he gets dressed. Cassie walks over to him and sticks her hand out, which Vlad grasps and they shake.
"I'm Cassandra Sandsmark or Wonder Girl to the public, nice to meet you Vald" She says in a cheerful tone with a smile on her face; a smile that Vlad returns.
"The pleasure is all my Cassandra; any friend of Karasu-Hime is a friend of mine." Cassie's face twists in confusion at the nickname for Raven.
"What does that mean?"
"Karasu means raven and Hime is an honorific that basically means princess." His answer causes Cassie to smirk a bit.
"Now don't forget you have to meet Cyborg for patrol today Princess." Cassie says the last word in a teasing voice and turns back to Vlad. "I have to go, I'm due for training but hope we see each other again. I want to get to know the Princess's secret lover."
Vlad shakes his head and chuckles as the blonde exits the room. Looking at Raven, he sees she still hasn't recovered from all the teasing and Cassie finding him in her room. He walks over to her and gently blows on her ear, an action that sends a chill down Raven's spine. She looks at him and is about to speak when he plants a kiss on her right cheek. She can feel her heart start to race and butterflies begin to form in her stomach.
"Could you please teleport me near the bookshop my dear?" he whispers in her ear, causing her to shudder. She nods and opens a portal behind him; he winks at her as he takes a step backwards into it.
When he vanishes from sight Raven lets out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. Standing up she makes her way to the shower and turns on the cold water in an attempt to cool her body off. She rests her head against the shower wall as the cold water cascades down her naked form, letting out a sigh she wonders if Vlad will turn up in her room again tonight. Turning off the water she exits the shower and dries off, walking to her closet and grabbing her uniform she thinks about what Cassie said; secret lover. Sitting on her bed she pulls on her boots while wondering what the exact nature of her relationship with Vlad is. Looking at her phone she is tempted to text or call him, but decides against it; she wants to talk about it in person. Making up her mind to have Vlad come over tonight no matter what she heads down to meet up with Cyborg and get the patrol over with.
With Vlad
It only took Vlad three minutes to reach his apartment from the alley next to the bookshop. Once inside he heads to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast, which is just some heated up leftover Chinese food for the other day. Heading over to the fridge he look for something to drink, after a few seconds he speaks.
"You might as well come out; I don't feel like playing hide and seek." His words are met with a mirthful laugh; one Vlad is surprised to hear so soon. Turning to the source of the laugh, the space in front of his stove, Vlad is greeted by the sight of the air shimmering before revealing Ryzer leaning against the aforementioned appliance. "I didn't expect to see you so soon. Want some food?"
"I'd love some." Ryzer says, walking over to the island counter in the middle of the kitchen; Vlad takes in his appearance as he does. His outfit consists of black and dark orange Tripp pants, a tight black sweater with a jack-o-lantern on the front, and black boots. His hair manages to look even shaggier than last time. "I'm surprised you knew I was here, my stealth module erases all visibility, scent, temperature, and sound from my person. Interesting, some form of 'sixth sense', your list of abilities is continues to grow."
"You have a list?" Vlad asks incredulously. Ryzer shakes his head while eating some rice.
"Someone else's list, I merely made a copy. So far they have; Wind Manipulation, Fire Manipulation, unknown form of teleportation, physical abilities enhanced to an unknown degree, unknown method of 'mass storage', unknown physical enhancement ability, master swordsman, master martial artist, advanced strategist and tactician, explosives knowledge, and master of stealth." Vlad raises an eyebrow at this; while incomplete the list is rather extensive considering how recently he entered this world. "That's actually why I'm here. The person who made that list has taken an interest in you and is planning on launching an attack against you sometime in the next three days. Her name is Amanda Waller, she's a royal bitch, but is force to be reckoned with. She's a normal human and poses no real threat on her own. What makes her dangerous is her ruthlessness and willingness to use any means necessary."
"She works for the government, runs a massive intelligence network, and has a group of highly dangerous villains under her command. This group, the Suicide Squad, is who will be coming for you." Ryzer pulls a flash drive out of his pocket and slides it across the counter. "Here is all the information I have on the current lineup of the Suicide Squad. Also there's no need to pay me, I have a vested interest in watching this bitch's plans fail. I better take my leave, not really one for up in your face excitement; I prefer watching from a safe distance with some snacks and vodka."
Sighing as Ryzer vanishes from the room, Vlad takes the flash drive and remaining Chinese food to the living room. As he plugs the flash drive into the laptop on the coffee table he wonders why some spymaster is targeting him. Pulling up the profiles he starts studying his new hunters.
Tatsu Yamashiro- Katana. Tatsu is a master swordsman and highly skilled hand to hand combatant; she possesses a strong drive and excellent leadership skills. Her weapon, the katana 'Soul Taker', steals the soul of its victims; her husband's soul resides in the sword. She will take the position of Field Leader.
Floyd Lawton-Deadshot. 'The man who never misses' a lofty name, but one lived up to. The only know case of Deadshot missing is against Batman. Lawton is one of the two premier mercenaries in the world, with an impressive list of kills. An expert in all things the fire a bullet, Lawton's accuracy, intelligence, and martial prowess allow him to go head to head with Metahumans with little to no threat to himself.
Chato Santana- El Diablo. Chato is a former gang leader and a Metahuman. He has the ability of pyrokinesis and an unexplained transformation ability. After causing the death of his family he swore off all violence and chose the life of a pacifist. Towards the end of the teams first mission he revoked his new views to aide his new 'family'. Since then he has yet to refuse to use his abilities on a mission. As a whole he is probably the most powerful member of the team.
Waylon Jones- Killer Croc. Contrary to his appearance Jones is a human. His current state is not fully understood, but our scientists believe it to be something akin to physical Atavistic regression. His current state grants him superhuman physical abilities and extremely lethal fangs and claws. He is one of the two heavy hitters on the current team; the current limit of his strength is unknown, he is at least in the 2 ton range.
Nanaue- King Shark. Unknown origin and whether he is human or not is unknown. Nanaue possesses physical abilities slightly above Waylon Jones, with the addition of possessing an increased aquatic adaptation. He is one of the two heavy hitters of the current team.
Soul stealing sword, perfect accuracy, pyrokinesis, a humanoid crocodile, and a humanoid shark; what an interesting group, add the fact that they are all violent criminals with the inevitable interruption of an expanded Titans and this could get out of hand rather quickly. Picking up his phone, Vlad calls David.
"Hello?" David's confused voice answers.
"Hello David, I have a job for you. There's a group of five criminals coming to Jump, or are already here. Either way I want to arrange a little 'greeting' for them. If you can arrange said greeting I'll pay you twenty-five thousand dollars, along with providing any funds needed for the arrangements. How does that sound?" After a brief silence David's answers.
"It'll take some money but I think I can do it. I still have some contacts within the various gangs around the city. How soon do you want it to be?"
"If possible tonight, I do hate to keep my guests waiting." Vlad says with a large grin on his face.
With Raven
Raven is getting anxious, she hasn't heard from Vlad since he left this morning and it's almost five in the evening. She hasn't texted or called him yet because she isn't sure of what to say. She was hoping he'd take the lead like he normally does. The shrill whistle of her tea pot snatches her back to reality and she continues with her current task of making tea and a snack. Once done she heads over to one of the chairs in the common room and takes a seat. Instead of pulling out a book like normal she decides to observe her teammates, as she figures that it will provide a better distraction from her thoughts than reading would. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Kaldur are playing a racing game, Starfire and Cassie are talking about some show they both watch, and Robin is on the computer playing some MMO with Nightwing and Kid Flash.
Her observations are interrupted by an overwhelming sense of mischief rolling off of Cassie. Looking towards the blonde, Raven sees a devious smile on her face. Before Raven can attempt to intervene Cassie addresses her from the other side of the room.
"So Raven, how's Vlad doing?" The words cause everyone to stop what they are doing and look at her. Things are made worse by Starfire unintentionally joining in on Cassie's evil plan.
"Yes friend Raven, how is Vlad? It's been a few days since I met him and you haven't mentioned him to me." The cheerful and curious tone of Star's voice makes it impossible for Raven to get mad. The rest of the team is now basically gaping at the mouth. She even hears Robin the Nightwing and Kid Flash that he has to go. Before things can continue to get worse, the room is suddenly filled with music; Alien Ant Farm's cover of Smooth Criminal to be exact, her ringtone for Vlad. Before she can thank the heavens for the saving grace however, she realizes she left her phone in the kitchen section of the room. Once again, before Raven can do anything Cassie acts. She rushes to the phone and answers it, putting it on speaker.
"Hello?" She says in a sweet tone. Raven's blood runs cold, while Cassie and Kaldur have never fought Vlad, the rest of the Titans have.
"Who is this?" Relief washes over Raven when the voice that comes through the phone is slightly distorted by bad signal and strong wind. It does make he wonder where Vlad is though.
"Have you forgotten me already? How mean." Cassie's answer if filled with fake shock and hurt.
"Wait, is this Cassie? Where is Karasu-Hime?"
"It is and she's a bit… tied up at the moment." She answers with a small giggle. Vlad is silent for a few moments.
"You answer Karasu-Hime's phone and say she is tied up. You two better not be having kinky bondage sex before I get to bless myself with her splendor." A voice from his side calls out to him. "Tsk, I have to go dear. Now I understand the two of you are beautiful, young, and at an inquisitive age but I get Karasu-Hime first. You may join in afterwards if it is agreeable to her… oh the wondrous possibilities. Anyway, tell Karasu-Hime I called."
With that he hangs up before Cassie can respond and Raven returns to being the center of attention. Cassie and Starfire both have large smile's on their faces, Kaldur and Cyborg both look disturbed, Robin is laughing his ass off, and Beast Boy has a look that's between anger and disgust. Through his laughter Robin is the first to speak.
"So, that's your mysterious boyfriend huh?" As he calms down he sees the confused look on Raven's face and decides to expand on his statement. "I knew you a boyfriend, I was trained in detective work by Batman, remember? I didn't investigate him or anything though, I trust you enough not to pry into your private life."
"Thank you." She responds with a quiet voice. She was most worried about Robin and Cyborg finding out about Vlad. Robin because of the highly paranoid and judgmental nature of the Bat-family and Cyborg because his big brother personality and protectiveness. Kaldur is a bit 'pure', so his reaction is understandable.
"Glorious, now that the secret is out, you can work on furthering your relationship friend Raven." Starfire says in a happy tone as she flies over to Raven and embraces her in a hug. The though of doing so fills Raven with joy and she returns the hug.
"Well shit!" Cyborg exclaims. "As much as I want to be angry, when I see that smile on your face I just can't do it. Don't think this means I am happy or agree, because I don't. I still need to meet this pervert and give him a talking to-" Cyborg is interrupted by the towers alarm going off. The main screen switches from the video game to a map of the city. It is accompanied by several video streams. They all show a massive battle downtown. Robin rushes over to the computer.
"Fuck. At least a hundred various gang members are warring with what appears to be the Suicide Squad. We have to hurry; this is going to get bad quick."
Thanks for reading chapter six of Eyes of Crimson and Amethyst. Please leave a review and stay tuned for the next chapter.
With laughs,
SonoftheJester